By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
There have been moments lately when I am at a loss for words, unsure on what next steps to take. In this work, the uncertainty and chaos created in Washington has a massive daily impact on what we do in Hartford.
Simply deciding how to react can be tricky. Was that threat to dismantle any given department credible, or was it just casually (and cruelly) tossed out? Are my constituents going to be out of a job or unable to access services they previously had, or will we all worry for a few days and have nothing come of it? Should I keep spending hours working on legislation that could be transformative with a huge return on investment, but may be tossed aside because we no longer have the federal funds to support it? Should I instead focus only on “worst case scenario” responses? Is it possible to keep on going with “business as usual”?
All these situations are, quite frankly, exhausting.
Other days, the words that need to be said are quite clear and it’s easy to decide which way to go. In our legislative world, the clock holds the most power. Whether your goal is to try and get as much done as possible or run out the clock to prevent that work from moving forward, time is the most valuable component in the equation.
Sometimes the opinion has been that to save time during a debate, it is better to let someone speak and not respond – even if what they are saying is false or damaging, just so we can move on and be closer to the next step in the legislative process before time runs out.
But that seems to be changing. More and more of my colleagues and I are standing up against lies made to further agendas based on propaganda, not facts. Falsehoods are being checked and corrected. Our meetings may be running (a lot) longer, but the truth still matters. Our shared values still matter. How we speak about each other matters.
I would like nothing more than to be doing typical day-to-day work right now, and writing a much different column. But these times are not typical.
I am afraid of what might happen to our state and our communities if even half of these threats come to fruition, but I am also hopeful. I recently heard a quote from an interview with Mariame Kaba: “Hope is a discipline…It’s work to be hopeful.”
So, I will do the work of hope and the work of the district so that our communities are as protected as possible, such as providing an additional $40 million in special education funds to help our schools. While I wish we could have given more, it was not a fiscally responsible move to do. Even the way that happened wasn’t typical.
If you have questions about that process, or anything else, I hope you will attend one of my upcoming coffee hours. Details can be found on my state website at housedems.ct.gov/Welander.